Weiheke Island

Today started with a battle of epic proportions between the washer/dryer and me. I decided that I should take advantage of the in-room washer/dryer at the hotel and do the laundry from the previous day. The washer/dryer unit was one of these space-age things with many buttons and knobs. I finally figured out how to turn on the wash cycle, only to realize, an hour and a half later, that the clothes were still being washed! I had no idea it would take that long to complete the wash cycle. I tried to abort the cycle, but the machine would not unlock (so I couldn't get the clothes out). Finally, I figured out that I just needed to run the drain cycle to get the system to release the lock on the door (I believe this was the shortest cycle). Unfortunately, this sequence of events resulted in me needing to carry wet clothes to the conference (oh well, I am sure that things could have been worse).

I checked out of the hotel and took off to go explore downtown Auckland. Just as I was leaving the hotel, it began to rain - go figure. So, I managed to find a coffee shop and had a latte along with some free WiFi. It was nice to get caught up on internet-related business. Finally, it stopped raining and I proceeded to walk around the dock areas of Auckland. It was a nice area and there were a lot of huge yachts to see. I enjoyed taking in the atmosphere of the waterfront area and I ended up walking around for a few hours (luggage in tow).

Finally, it was time to take a ferry to Waiheke Island for the conference. I met up with Anita and Tim at the ferry terminal and we made our way to the boat. The ferry trip lasted about 30 minutes and the scenery was great (even though it was still a bit overcast). We past several small islands while enroute and it was cool to see small houses overlooking impressive cliffs. Eventually, we arrived at Waiheke Island and took a bus to the conference center. I sat next to a gentleman from Switzerland. He said that it took him 4 days to get to New Zealand (stopping in London, Dubai, Borneo, Brisbane, and finally Auckland). I wouldn't want to have a flight that was that complicated.

The conference center reminds me of Asilomar on the Monterrey Penninsula, California (water purification conference, February 2009). The center is rustic and the lodging consists of little houses spread out across the grounds. Our house is a six bedroom place complete with a kitchen and living room. Six of us are staying here; 5 grad students and 1 professor. I enjoyed meeting some of the graduate students (Steven, Thomas, and Richard). They seem like nice guys (all from Australia) and we had a good time talking over pre-dinner drinks.

Dinner was better than I expected it to be. The buffet had a lot of choices and all of the food was really good. It was nice to sit with the other graduate students and enjoy the meal. Afterwards, I sat with Anita and Tim for a while overlooking the impressive view from the patio of the main building of the conference center. From here, the ocean can be seen and the view is quite spectacular.

Now, I am back in my room getting ready for bed. I hope that I don't get attacked by bugs tonight (there are many cans of insect poison throughout the house). I'm just hoping there aren't any big spiders... I guess we'll find out. Oh well, it is a great location (excellent scenery and plant/wildlife) and I am looking forward to the start of the conference tomorrow!